Organic light-emitting device having a cyano compound

ABSTRACT

An organic light-emitting device including a first electrode and a first layer, wherein the first electrode includes a first element-containing zinc oxide layer and the first layer includes a cyano group-containing compound.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2009-0096821, filed on Oct. 12, 2009, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present embodiments relate to an organic light-emitting device including a zinc oxide layer containing an element such as aluminum (Al), and a cyano group-containing compound.

2. Description of the Related Technology

Organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs), which are self-emitting devices, have advantages such as a wide viewing angle, excellent contrast, quick response, high brightness, excellent driving voltage characteristics, and can provide multicolored images.

A typical OLED has a structure including a substrate, and an anode, a hole transport layer (HTL), an emission layer (EML), an electron transport layer (ETL), and a cathode which are sequentially stacked on the substrate. In this regard, the HTL, the EML, and the ETL are organic thin films formed of organic compounds.

An operating principle of an OLED having the above-described structure is as follows.

When a voltage is applied to the anode and the cathode, holes injected from the anode move to the EML via the HTL, and electrons injected from the cathode move to the EML via the ETL. The holes and electrons recombine in the EML to generate excitons. When the excitons drop from an excited state to a ground state, light is emitted.

SUMMARY

The present embodiments provide an organic light-emitting device (OLED) having excellent driving voltage characteristics, emission efficiency characteristics, and power efficiency characteristics.

According to an aspect of the present embodiments, there is provided an organic light-emitting device comprising: a substrate; a first electrode disposed on the substrate; a second electrode; an organic layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the organic layer comprising an emission layer; and at least one first layer disposed between the first electrode and the emission layer, the at least one first layer comprising a cyano group-containing compound, wherein the first electrode comprises a first element-containing zinc oxide layer, wherein the first element in the first element-containing zinc oxide layer comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), indium (In), gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), gadolinium (Gd), zirconium (Zr), molybdenum (Mo), and nickel (Ni).

The first electrode further may include a transparent conductive layer.

The first element may include aluminum (Al).

Regarding the cyano group-containing compound in the organic light-emitting device, a detailed description section of the specification, which will be provided below, should be referred to.

The first layer of the organic light-emitting device may further include a hole transporting compound. Regarding the hole transporting compound, the detailed descriptions of the specification, which will be provided below, should be referred to.

The first layer may have a thickness of about 10 Å to about 2,100 Å.

A distance between the first layer and the emission layer may be 50 Å or greater.

The organic light-emitting device may further include at least one layer selected from the group consisting of a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer between the first layer and the emission layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages of the present embodiments will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of an organic light-emitting device (OLED) according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of an OLED according to another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an organic light-emitting device (OLED) 10 according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the OLED 10 according to the present embodiment includes a substrate 1, a first electrode 5, a first layer 6 including a cyano group-containing compound, an organic layer 7, and a second electrode 9, which are sequentially stacked in this order. The first electrode 5 includes a zinc oxide layer 5 a containing a first element.

The substrate 1, which may be any substrate that is used in conventional organic light-emitting devices, may be, for example, a glass substrate or a transparent plastic substrate with excellent mechanical strength, thermal stability, transparency, surface smoothness, ease of handling, and waterproofness.

The first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a is disposed on the substrate 1. The first element in the first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a may include at least one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), indium (In), gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), gadolinium (Gd), zirconium (Zr), molybdenum (Mo), and nickel (Ni).

The first element may include aluminum (Al), but is not limited thereto.

The first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a lowers the hole injection barrier by increasing the work function of the first electrode 5, and thus facilitates the injection of holes into the organic layer 7 from the first electrode 5.

The amount of the first element in the first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a may be from about 0.1 to about 10 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a. For example, the amount of the first element may be from about 0.5 to about 5 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a, but is not limited thereto. When the amount of the first element in the first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a is within the above ranges, the first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a may have excellent hole transporting ability without a substantial increase in electrical resistance or a substantial reduction in the transmittance of visible light.

The first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a may have a thickness of from about 1 Å to about 800 Å, for example, the thickness may be from about 10 Å to about 500 Å. When the thickness of the first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a is within the above ranges, excellent efficiency characteristics may be attained without a substantial reduction in driving voltage.

The first layer 6 including a cyano group-containing compound is disposed on the first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a. The first layer 6 may include at least one layer. The cyano group-containing compound included in the first layer 6 has two one-electron reduced forms, and may have an extended π-electron system capable of generating stable radicals (This can be identified by, for example, cyclic voltammetry). The first layer 6 lowers the barrier of hole injection from the first electrode 5 into the organic layer 7, and thus, facilitates the injection of holes into the organic layer 7 from the first electrode 5. Thus, the OLED 10 may have excellent driving voltage characteristics and power efficiency characteristics.

The cyano group-containing compound included in the first layer 6 may be one of the compounds represented by Formulae 1 through 20 below.

In Formulae 1 through 20, X₁ through X₄ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by Formulae 30A through 30D below;

-   Y₁ through Y₈ may be each independently N or C(R₁₀₃); Z₁ through Z₄     may be each independently C or N; A₁ and A₂ may be each     independently selected from the group consisting of —O—, —S—,     —N(R₁₀₄) and —C(R₁₀₅)(R₁₀₆)—; Q₁₀₁ and Q₁₀₂ may be each     independently selected from the group consisting of a C₂-C₁₀     alkylene group, a C₂-C₁₀ alkenylene group, and a substituted C₂-C₁₀     alkylene group and a substituted C₂-C₁₀ alkenylene group which have     at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a     halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group     and a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group; T₁ and T₂ may be each independently     selected from the group consisting of a C₅-C₃₀ aromatic ring system,     a C₃-C₃₀ heteroaromatic ring system, and a substituted C₅-C₃₀     aromatic ring system and a substituted C₃-C₃₀ heteroaromatic ring     system which have at least one substituent selected from the group     consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a     C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group and a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group; p may be an integer     from 1 to 10; q may be an integer from 0 to 10; R₁₀₁ through R₁₀₆     may be each independently selected from the group consisting of     hydrogen, a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀     alkyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group     and a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group which has at least one     substituent selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a     halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₅-C₁₄ aryl group,     and a C₃-C₁₄ heteroaryl group,

and —N(R₁₀₇)(R₁₀₈), wherein R₁₀₇ and R₁₀₈ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a phenyl group, and a biphenyl group; and L₁₀₁ may be selected from the group consisting of a C₂-C₁₀ alkenylene group, C₅-C₁₄ arylene group, a C₃-C₁₄ heteroarylene group, and a substituted C₂-C₁₀ alkenylene group, a substituted C₅-C₁₄ arylene group and a substituted C₃-C₁₄ heteroarylene group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, and a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group.

For example, in Formula 1 through 20, X₁ through X₄ may be each independently a compound of Formula 30A or a compound of Formula 30D.

For example, R₁₀₃ in C(R₁₀₃) for Y₁ through Y₈ in Formulae 1 through 20 may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen; a halogen atom; a cyano group; a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group; a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group; a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group and a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, an anthryl group, a pyridinyl group, a thiophenyl group, and a benzothiophenyl group; and —N(R₁₀₇)(R₁₀₈), wherein R₁₀₇ and R₁₀₈ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a phenyl group, and a biphenyl group.

R₁₀₃ may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, —F, a cyano group, a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group, an ethenyl group, a methoxy group, an ethoxy group, a propoxy group, a phenyl-substituted methyl group, a phenyl-substituted propyl group, and —N(biphenyl group)(biphenyl group), but is not limited thereto.

In Formulae 1 and 2, R₁₀₁ and R₁₀₂ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of a cyano group,

but are not limited thereto.

In Formulae 1 through 20, A₁ and A₂ may be —S—, but are not limited thereto.

In Formula 20, Q₁₀₁ and Q₁₀₂ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of an ethylene group, a propylene group, an ethenylene group, a propenylene group, and a substituted ethylene group, a substituted propylene group, a substituted ethenylene group and a substituted propenylene group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group and a hydroxyl group. Q₁₀₁ and Q₁₀₂ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of an ethylene group, an ethenylene group, and a substituted ethylene group and a substituted ethenylene group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of —F and a cyano group, but are not limited thereto.

In Formulae 1 through 20, T₁ and T₂ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of a C₅-C₃₀ aromatic ring system including elements Z₁ and Z₂, or Z₃ and Z₄; a C₃-C₃₀ heteroaromatic ring system; a substituted C₅-C₃₀ aromatic ring system having at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group and a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group; and a substituted C₃-C₃₀ heteroaromatic ring system having at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group and a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group. As identified from Formulae 1 through 20, T₁ and T₂ can be fused to the backbones of Formulae 1 through 20.

The C₅-C₃₀ aromatic ring system refers to a C₅-C₃₀ carbocyclic aromatic system including at least one aromatic ring. In this regard, the term “system” is used herein in order to indicate that the C₅-C₃₀ aromatic ring system may include a polycyclic structure. When the C₅-C₃₀ aromatic ring system includes 2 or more aromatic rings, the 2 or more aromatic rings may be fused together. The C₃-C₃₀ heteroaromatic ring system refers to a C₃-C₃₀ carbocyclic aromatic system including at least one heteroaromatic ring, wherein the at least one heteroaromatic ring includes at least one heteroatom selected from the group consisting of nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), phosphorous (P) and sulfur (S), and carbon (C) as the other ring atoms. When the C₃-C₃₀ heteroaromatic ring system further includes at least one of an aromatic ring and a heteroaromatic ring, two or more (hetero)aromatic rings may be fused together.

Examples of the C₅-C₃₀ aromatic ring system include benzene, pentalene, indene, naphthalene, azulene, heptalene, indacene, acenaphthylene, fluorene, phenalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, triphenylene, pyrene, chrysene, naphthacene, picene, perylene, pentaphene, and hexacene, but are not limited thereto.

Examples of the C₃-C₃₀ heteroaromatic ring system include pyrrole, pyrazole, imidazole, imidazoline, pyridine, pyrazine, pyrimidine, indole, purine, quinoline, phthalazine, indolizine, naphthyridine, quinazoline, cinnoline, indazole, carbazole, phenazine, phenanthridine, pyran, chromene, benzofuran, thiophene, benzothiophene, isothiazole, isoxazole, thiadiazole, and oxadiazole, but are not limited thereto.

For example, in Formulae 1 through 20, T₁ and T₂ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of benzene; naphthalene; anthracene; thiophene; thiadiazole; oxadiazole; and a substituted benzene, a substituted naphthalene, a substituted anthracene, a substituted thiophene, a substituted thiadiazole and a substituted oxadiazole which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group and a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group.

In Formulae 1 through 20, p may be 1, but is not limited thereto. In addition, q may be 0, 1, or 2, but is not limited thereto. For example, when q in Formula 3 is 0, the compound of Formula 3 may be a compound represented by Formula 3A, which will be described later.

In Formula 2, L₁₀₁ may be a C₅-C₁₄ arylene group; a C₃-C₁₄ heteroarylene group; a substituted C₅-C₁₄ arylene group having at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group and a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group; or a substituted C₃-C₁₄ heteroarylene group having at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group and a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group. For example, L₁₀₁ may be selected from the group consisting of a thiophenylene group; a benzothiophenylene group; and a substituted thiophenylene group and a substituted benzothiophenylene group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group and a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group.

The cyano group-containing compound included in the first layer 6 of the OLED 10 may be one of the compounds represented by Formulae 1A through 20B below, but is not limited thereto:

In Formulae 1A through 20B, R₁₀₃ and R₁₀₉ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, a cyano group, a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group, a methoxy group, an ethoxy group, and a propoxy group.

For example, the cyano group-containing compound included in the first layer 6 of the OLED 10 may be the compound of Formula 20A or 20B. In Formulae 20A and 20B, R₁₀₃ and R₁₀₉ may be both fluorine.

The cyano group-containing compound included in the first layer 6 improves the hole injecting ability of the first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5A. Thus, the OLED 10 may have a reduced driving voltage and higher emission and power efficiencies.

The first layer 6 may further include a hole transporting compound, in addition to the cyano group-containing compound described above. The cyano group-containing compound forms a charge transfer complex with the hole transporting compound, so that the concentration of free carriers in the first layer 6 may be increased. Thus, the cyano group-containing compound may contribute to a reduction in interfacial resistance between the first electrode 5 and the organic layer 7.

The hole transporting compound may be any known compound.

Alternatively, the hole transporting compound may be one of the compounds represented by Formulae 41 and 42 below.

In Formulae 41 and 42, R₁₀ is represented by —(Ar₁)_(n)—Ar₂; R₁₆ is represented by —(Ar₁₁)_(m)—Ar₁₂; Ar₁, Ar₁₁, L₁ and L₁₁ are each independently selected from the group consisting of a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ alkenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₅-C₃₀ arylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₃-C₃₀ heteroarylene group, and —N(Q₁)-; n, m, a and b are each independently an integer from 0 to 10; R₁ through R₃, R₁₁ through R₁₅, R₁₇, R₁₈, R₂₁ through R₂₉, Ar₂, Ar₁₂ and Q₁ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a cyano group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ alkynyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkoxy group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkylthiol group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₅-C₃₀ aryl group, a C₃-C₃₀ heteroaryl group, and —N(Q₂)(Q₃); and Q₂ and Q₃ are each independently hydrogen, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a cyano group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ alkynyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkoxy group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkylthiol group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₅-C₃₀ aryl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted C₃-C₃₀ heteroaryl group, wherein groups of Ar₁ in —(Ar₁)_(n)— may be identical to or different from each other, groups of Ar₁₁ in —(Ar₁₁)_(m)— may be identical to or different from each other, a groups of L₁ in -L₁)_(a)- may be identical to or different from each other, and groups of L₁₁ in -(L₁₁)_(b)- may be identical to or different from each other.

Examples of Ar₁ in the formula —(Ar₁)_(n)—Ar₂— for R₁₀ and Ar₁₁ in the formula —(Ar₁₁)_(m)—Ar₁₂— for R₁₆ are each independently selected from the group consisting of a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₁₀ alkylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₁₀ alkenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted phenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted pentalenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted indenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted naphthylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted azulenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted heptalenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted indacenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted acenaphthylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted fluorenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted phenalenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted phenanthrenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted anthracenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted fluoranthenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted triphenylenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted pyrenylenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted chrysenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted naphthacenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted picenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted perylenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted pentaphenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted hexacenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted pyrrolylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted pyrazolylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted imidazolylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted imidazolinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted imidazopyridinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted imidazopyrimidinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted pyridinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted pyrazinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted pyrimidinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted indolylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted purinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted quinolinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted phthalazinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted indolizinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted naphthyridinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted quinazolinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted cinnolinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted indazolylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted carbazolylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted phenazinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted phenanthridinylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted pyranylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted chromenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted benzofuranylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted thiophenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted benzothiophenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted isothiazolylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted benzoimidazolylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted isoxazolylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted triazinylene group, and a group represented by —N(Q₁)-, but are limited thereto. In this regard, Q₁ may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a cyano group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₁₀ alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₁₀ alkynyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₁₀ alkylthiol group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₅-C₁₄ aryl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₃-C₁₄ heteroaryl group, and —N(Q₂)(Q₃), but is not limited thereto.

For example, Ar₁ and Ar₁₁ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of a C₁-C₁₀ alkylene group; a phenylene group; a naphthylene group; an anthrylene group; a fluorenylene group; a carbazolylene group; a pyrazolylene group; a pyridinylene group; a triazinylene group; —N(Q₁)-; and a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkylene group, a substituted phenylene group, a substituted naphthylene group, a substituted anthrylene group, a substituted fluorenylene group, a substituted carbazolylene group, a substituted pyrazolylene group, a substituted pyridinylene group, and a substituted triazinylene group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, and an anthryl group. In this regard, Q₁ may be selected from the group consisting of hydrogen; a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group; a phenyl group; a naphthyl group; a carbazolyl group; a fluorenyl group; a pyrenyl group; a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, a substituted phenyl group, a substituted naphthyl group, a substituted carbazolyl group, a substituted fluorenyl group and a substituted pyrenyl group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, and an anthryl group; and —N(Q₂)(Q₃), but is not limited thereto. In addition, Q₂ and Q₃ may be selected from the group consisting of a methyl group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, and an anthryl group.

Ar₂ in the formula —(Ar₁)_(n)—Ar₂— and Ar₁₂ in the formula —(Ar₁₁)_(m)—Ar₁₂— are as defined above in connection with Q₁.

n in the formula —(Ar₁)n-Ar₂— and m in the formula —(Ar₁₁)_(m)—Ar₁₂— are each independently an integer from 0 to 6. For example, n and m may be each independently 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, but are not limited thereto.

Groups of Ar₁ in the formula —(Ar₁)_(n)—Ar₂— may be identical to or different from each other. For example, when n is 2, the two groups of Ar₁ in —(Ar₁)_(n)— may be both phenylene groups, or one of the two may be —N(Q₁)- and the other may be a phenylene group. The descriptions of —(Ar₁₁)_(m)—Ar₁₂— may be the same as those of —(Ar₁)_(n)—Ar₂— above.

R₁ through R₃, R₁₁ through R₁₅, R₁₇, R₁₈, and R₂₁ through R₂₉ in Formulae 41 and 42 may be defined as described above in connection with Q₁.

For example, R₁₃ may be a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, or an anthryl group, but is not limited thereto.

For example, R₂₈ and R₂₉ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a methyl group, an ethyl group, a methoxy group, an ethoxy group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group and an anthryl group, but are not limited thereto.

L₁ and L₂ in Formulae 41 and 42 may be defined as described above in connection with Ar1 and Ar11.

For example, L₁ and L₂ may be each independently a phenylene group, a carbazolylene group, or a phenylcarbazolylene group, but are not limited thereto.

In Formulae 41 and 42, a and b may be each independently an integer from 0 to 10. For example, a and b may be each independently 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10, but are not limited thereto.

For example, in Formula 42, Ar₁ in the formula —(Ar₁)_(n)—Ar₂— for R₁₀ and Ar₁₁ in the formula —(Ar₁₁)_(m)—Ar₁₂— for R₁₆ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of a phenylene group; a carbazolylene group; a fluorenylene group; a methylfluorenylene group; a pyrazolylene group; a phenylpyrazolylene group; —N(Q₁)-, wherein Q₁ is hydrogen, a phenyl group, a fluorenyl group, a dimethylfluorenyl group, a diphenylfluorenyl group, a carbazolyl group, or a phenylcarbazolyl group; a diphenylfluorenylene group; a triazinylene group; a methyltriazinylene group; a phenyltriazinylene group; a tetrafluorophenylene group; an ethylene group; and a methylphenylene group, wherein n and m may be each independently 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, and Ar₂ and Ar₁₂ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a cyano group, a fluoro group, a phenyl group, a cyanophenyl group, a naphthyl group, an anthryl group, a methyl group, a pyridinyl group, a carbazolyl group, a phenylcarbazolyl group, a fluorenyl group, a dimethylfluorenyl group, and a diphenylfluorenyl group. R₁₁, R₁₂, R₁₄, R₁₅, R₁₇, R₁₈, R₂₁ through R₂₇ may be hydrogen; R₁₃ may be selected from the group consisting of a phenyl group, a naphthyl group and an anthryl group; R₂₈ and R₂₉ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a methyl group, an ethyl group, a methoxy group, an ethoxy group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group and an anthryl group; L₁₁ may be a phenylene group; and b may be 0 or 1.

In some embodiments, the hole transporting compound may be any one of Compounds 1 through 37 below, but is not limited thereto:

When the first layer 6 further includes a hole transporting material described above, in addition to the cyano group-containing compound, the amount of the cyano group-containing compound in the first layer 6 may be from about 0.1 to about 20 parts by weight, for example, from about 0.5 to about 15 parts by weight, or from about 0.5 to about 10 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the first layer 6. When the amount of the cyano group-containing compound is within this range, the driving voltage may be substantially decreased, and the emission and power efficiencies may be satisfactorily improved.

The thickness of the first layer 6 may be from about 10 Å to about 2100 Å, for example, from about 10 Å to about 500 Å, or from about 20 Å to about 200 Å. When the thickness of the first layer 6 is within this range, the driving voltage may be substantially decreased, and the emission and power efficiencies may be satisfactorily improved.

The organic layer 7 may be disposed on the first layer 6. The term “organic layer” used throughout the specification refers to any intervening layer between the first electrode 5 and the second electrode 9 (but excluding the first layer 6 described above). The organic layer 7 may be formed of pure organic materials, and may further include a metal complex.

The organic layer 7 may include an emission layer (EML).

The distance between the first layer 6 and the EML may be about 50 Å or greater, for example, about 100 Å or greater, or from about 100 Å to about 2,500 Å. When the distance between the first layer 6 and the EML is within this range, quenching of exitons in the emission layer caused by the cyano group-containing compound included in the first layer 6 may be substantially prevented, and thus, the OLED may have excellent quality.

The organic layer 7 may further include at least one layer selected from the group consisting of a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transport layer (HTL), a hole blocking layer (HBL), an electron transport layer (ETL) and an electron injection layer (EIL), in addition to the EML.

For example, at least one layer selected from the group consisting of the HIL and the HTL may be further disposed between the first layer 6 and the EML. For example, the HTL may be further disposed between the first layer 6 and the EML, but is not limited thereto.

The HIL may be formed on the first layer 6 by vacuum deposition, spin coating, casting, Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition, or the like.

When the HIL is formed using vacuum deposition, the deposition conditions may vary according to a compound that is used to form the HIL, and the structure and thermal properties of the HIL to be formed. In general, however, conditions for vacuum deposition may include a deposition temperature of from about 100 to about 500° C., a pressure of from about 10⁻⁸ to about 10⁻³ torr, and a deposition rate of from about 0.01 to about 100 Å/sec.

When the HIL is formed using spin coating, the coating conditions may vary according to a compound that is used to form the HIL, and the structure and thermal properties of the HIL to be formed. In general, however, the coating rate may be from about 2000 to to about 5000 rpm, and a temperature for heat treatment which is performed to remove a solvent after coating may be from about 80 to about 200° C.

The HIL may be formed of any material that is commonly used to form a HIL. Examples of the material that can be used to form the HIL include a phthalocyanine compound such as copperphthalocyanine, 4,4′,4″-tris (3-methylphenylphenylamino) triphenylamine (m-MTDATA), nitrogen (N),N′-di(1-naphthyl)-N,N′-diphenylbenzidine (NPB), TDATA, 2T-NATA, polyaniline/dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (Pani/DBSA), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS), polyaniline/camphor sulfonicacid (Pani/CSA), and polyaniline)/poly(4-styrenesulfonate (PANI/PSS), but are not limited thereto.

The thickness of the HTL may be in the range of about 50 to 1,000 Å, for example, about 100 to about 2,500 Å. When the thickness of the HIL is within this range, the HIL may have excellent hole injecting ability without a substantial increase in driving voltage.

Then, a HTL may be formed on the HIL or on the first layer 6 by vacuum deposition, spin coating, casting, LB deposition, or the like. When the HTL is formed using vacuum deposition or spin coating, the conditions for deposition and coating may be similar to those for the formation of the HIL, although the conditions for the deposition and coating may vary according to the material that is used to form the HTL.

The HTL may be formed of the compound represented by Formula 41 or 42 described above.

The thickness of the HTL may be from about 50 to about 1,000 Å, for example, from about 100 to about 2,500 Å. When the thickness of the HTL is within this range, the HTL may have satisfactory hole transporting ability without a substantial decrease in driving voltage.

Then, the EML may be formed on the HTL by using vacuum deposition, spin coating, casting, LB deposition, or the like. When the EML is formed using vacuum deposition or spin coating, the conditions for deposition and coating may be similar to those for the formation of the HIL, although the conditions for deposition and coating may vary according to the material that is used to form the EML.

The EML may include a compound, or a combination of a host and a dopant. Examples of the host material include aluminum this(8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq3), 4,4′-N,N′-dicarbazole-biphenyl (CBP), poly(n-binylcarbazole (PVK), TCTA, 1,3,5-tris(N-phenylbenzimidazole-2-yl)benzene) (TPBI), E3, distyryl arylene (DSA), a compound represented by Formula 51 below, a compound represented by Formula 52, a compound represented by Formula 53, and a compound represented by Formula 54, but are not limited thereto.

In Formulae 51 through 54, Ar₅₁, A₅₂, Ar₅₃ and Ar₅₄ may be defined as described above in connection with Ar1.

In Formulae 51 through 54, Ar₅₁, A₅₂, Ar₅₃ and Ar₅₄ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of a phenylene group, a naphthylene group, an anthrylene group, and a phenyl-substituted anthrylene group, but are not limited thereto.

In Formulae 51 through 54, R₂₀₁ through R₂₀₉ and R₅₁ through R₅₆ may be defined as described above in connection with Ar₂. For example, R₂₀₁ through R₂₀₉ may be hydrogen.

In Formulae 51 through 54, d, e, f and g may be each independently an integer from 0 to 10. For example, d, e, f and g may be each independently 0, 1, or 2, but are not limited thereto.

In Formulae 51 through 54, R₅₁ through R₅₆ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group, a butyl group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, an anthryl group, a pyrenyl group, a carbazolyl group, and —N(Q₂)(Q₃), wherein Q₂ and Q₃ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of a methyl group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group and an anthryl group.

In some embodiments, the EML of the organic layer 7 may include one compound selected from the group consisting of Compounds 51 through 58 below, as a host, but is not limited thereto.

Examples of red dopants include PtOEP, Ir(piq)₃, and Btp₂Ir(acac), but are not limited thereto.

Examples of green dopants include Ir(ppy)₃ (ppy=phenylpyridine), Ir(ppy)₂(acac), Ir(mpyp)₃, the compound of Formula 51 above, a compound of Formula 71 below, and a compound of Formula 72 below, but are not limited thereto.

In Formulae 71 and 72, Ar₇₁ and Ar₇₂ may be defined as described above in connection with Ar₁.

In Formulae 71 through 72, Ar₇₁ and A₇₂ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of an ethenylene group, a phenylene group, a naphthylene group, an anthrylene group, and a phenyl-substituted anthrylene group, but are not limited thereto.

In Formulae 71 through 72, R₂₁₁ through R₂₁₆ and R₇₁ through R₇₆ may be defined as described above in connection with Ar₂. For example, R₂₁₁ through R₂₁₆ may be hydrogen.

In Formula 71 and 72, h and i may be each independently an integer from 0 to 10. For example, h and i may be each independently 0, 1 or 2, but are not limited thereto.

In Formulae 71 and 72, R₇₁ through R₇₆ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of a methyl group, an ethyl group, an ethenyl group, a phenyl group, a methylphenyl group, a naphthyl group, a methylnaphthyl group, an anthryl group, a methylanthryl group, a pyrenyl group and —N(Q₂)(Q₃), wherein Q₂ and Q₃ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of a methyl group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group and an anthryl group.

In some embodiments, the EML may include one compound selected from the group consisting of Compounds 51 through 58 above and Compounds 71 through 76 below, as a host, but is not limited thereto.

Examples of blue dopants include F₂Irpic, (F₂ppy)₂Ir(tmd), Ir(dfppz)₃, ter-fluorene, 4,4′-bis(4-diphenyl amiostyryl)biphenyl (DPAVBi), 2,5,8,11-tetra-tert-butyl perylene (TBP), and compounds represented by Formulae 51, 54, 81, and 82, but are not limited thereto.

In Formula 81, L₂₁ may be selected from the group consisting of a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ alkenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₅-C₃₀ arylene group and a substituted or unsubstituted C₃-C₃₀ heteroarylene group; c may be an integer from 1 to 20; c groups of L₂₁ in -(L₂₁)_(c)- may be identical to or different from each other; R₃₁ through R₃₄ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ alkynyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkoxy group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₅-C₃₀ aryl group and a substituted or unsubstituted C₃-C₃₀ heteroaryl group.

In Formula 81, L₂₁ may be defined as described above in connection with Ar₁ (the description of —N(Q₁)- is excluded), and R₃₁ through R₃₄ may be defined as described above in connection with Q₁ (the description of —N(Q₂)(Q₃) is excluded).

In Formula 81, L₂₁ may be an ethenylene group, a propenylene group, or a phenylene group.

In Formula 81, c may be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6.

In Formula 81, R₃₁ through R₃₄ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group, a butyl group, a methoxy group, an ethoxy group, a propoxy group, a butoxy group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, and an anthryl group.

In Formula 81, groups of L₂₁ in -(L₂₁)_(c)- may be identical to or different from each other. For example, when c is 2, the two groups of L₂₁ may be both phenylene groups, or one of the two may be a phenylene group, and the other may be an ethenylene group.

In Formula 82, Ar₈₁ through Ar₈₄ may be defined as described above in connection with Ar₁.

In Formula 82, Ar₃₁, A₃₂, Ar₃₃ and Ar₃₄ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of a phenylene group, a naphthylene group, an anthrylene group, and a phenyl-substituted anthrylene group, but are not limited thereto.

In Formula 82, R₂₂₁ through R₂₂₈ and R₈₁ through R₈₅ may be defined as described above in connection with Ar₂. For example, R₂₂₁ through R₂₂₈ may be hydrogen.

In Formula 82, j, k, l and m may be each independently an integer from 0 to 10. For example, j, k, l and m in Formula 82 may be each independently 0, 1 or 2, but are not limited thereto.

In Formula 82, R₈₁ through R₈₅ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group, a butyl group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, an anthryl group, pyrenyl group, a carbazolyl group, and —N(Q₂)(Q₃), wherein Q₂ and Q₃ may be each independently selected from the group consisting of a methyl group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group and an anthryl group.

The compound of Formula 81 may be Compound 40 below, but is not limited thereto:

The compound of Formula 82 may be Compound 41 or 42 below, but is not limited thereto:

The thickness of the ETL may be from about 100 to about 1,000 Å, for example, from about 150 to about 500 Å. When the thickness of the ETL is within this range, the ETL may have satisfactory electron transporting ability without a substantial increase in driving voltage.

Then, an EIL may be formed on the ETL. The EIL may be formed of any material facilitating injection of electrons from the cathode.

Examples of materials for forming the EIL include LiF, NaCl, CsF, Li₂O, and BaO, which are known in the art. Deposition and coating conditions for forming the EIL are similar to those for the formation of the HIL, although the deposition and coating conditions may vary according to a material that is used to form the EIL.

The thickness of the EIL may be in the range of about 1 to about 100 Å, for example, about 5 to about 90 Å. When the thickness of the EIL is within this range, the EIL may have satisfactory electron injecting ability without a substantial increase in driving voltage.

The second electrode 9 is disposed on the organic layer 7. The second electrode 9 may be a cathode, which is an electron injecting electrode. A metal for forming the second electrode 9 may be a metal, an alloy, an electrically conductive compound, which have a low-work function, or a mixture thereof. In this regard, the second electrode 9 may be formed of lithium (Li), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), aluminum (Al)-lithium (Li), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg)-indium (In), magnesium (Mg)-silver (Ag), or the like, and may be formed as a thin film type transmission electrode. In addition, the transmission electrode may be formed of indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO) to manufacture a top-emission type light-emitting device.

For example, an OLED according to an embodiment may have a structure including: an Al-containing zinc oxide layer; a first layer including a cyano group-containing compound represented by one of Formulae 1A through 20B, wherein the first layer may further include a hole transporting compound of Formula 42; a HTL including the compound of Formula 42; an EML including a host (one of the compounds 51 through 54) and a dopant (one of the compounds 51 through 54, 71, and 72); an ETL; an EIL; and a second electrode, which are sequentially stacked in this order. Thus, the OLED may emit excellent green light due to the structure. The green light may be emitted according to a fluorescent light-emitting mechanism. The maximum emission peak of the green light may be may be from about 490 to about 560 nm.

An OLED according to another embodiment may have a structure including: an Al-containing zinc oxide layer; a first layer including a cyano group-containing compound represented by one of Formulae 20A and 20B, wherein the first layer may further include a hole transporting compound selected from among the compounds 1 through 37; a HTL including one of the compounds 1 through 37; an EML including a host (one of the Compounds 51 through 58) and a dopant (one of the compounds 40 through 42, and 51 through 58); an ETL; an EIL; and a second electrode, which are sequentially stacked in this order. Thus, the OLED may emit excellent green light due to the structure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of an OLED 20 according to another embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, the OLED 20 according to the present embodiment includes a substrate 21, a first electrode 25, a first layer 26 including a cyano group-containing compound, an organic layer 27 and a second electrode 29, wherein the first electrode 25 includes a transparent conductive layer 25 b and a first element-containing zinc oxide layer 25 a, which are disposed in this order on the substrate 21. The substrate 21, the first element-containing zinc oxide layer 25 a, the first layer 26 including a cyano group-containing compound, the organic layer 27, and the second electrode 29 are the same as described above in detail with reference to FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the first electrode 25 of the OLED 20 further includes the transparent conductive layer 25 b as compared to the OLED 10 in FIG. 1.

The transparent conductive layer 25 b may be formed of, for example, a transparent conductive metal oxide. Examples of transparent conductive metal oxides include ITO and tin oxide (SnO₂), but are not limited thereto. For example, the transparent conductive layer 25 b may be formed of ITO.

The thickness of the transparent conductive layer 25 b may be from about 5 nm to about 100 nm, for example, from about 7 nm to about 80 nm. When the thickness of the transparent conductive layer 25 b is within this range, the OLED may have excellent efficiency.

For example, an OLED according to an embodiment may have a structure including: a transparent conductive layer formed of ITO; an Al-containing zinc oxide layer; a first layer including a cyano group-containing compound represented by one of Formulae 1A through 20B, wherein the first layer may further include a hole transporting compound of Formula 42; a HTL including the compound of Formula 42; an EML including a host (one of the compounds 51 through 54) and a dopant (one of the compounds 51 through 54, and 72); an ETL; an EIL; and a second electrode, which are sequentially stacked in this order. Thus, the OLED may emit excellent green light due to the structure. The green light may be emitted according to a fluorescent light-emitting mechanism. The maximum emission peak of the green light may be may be from about 490 to about 560 nm.

An OLED according to another embodiment may have a structure including: a transparent conductive layer formed of ITO; an Al-containing zinc oxide layer; a first layer including a cyano group-containing compound represented by one of Formulae 20A and 20B, wherein the first layer may further include a hole transporting compound selected from among the compounds 1 through 37; a HTL including one of the compounds 1 through 37; an EML including a host (one of the Compounds 51 through 58) and a dopant (one of the compounds 40 through 42, and 51 through 58); an ETL; an EIL; and a second electrode, which are sequentially stacked in this order. Thus, the OLED may emit excellent green light due to the structure.

The OLEDs 10 and 20 according to the embodiments are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, the present embodiments are not limited thereto.

For example, any of the OLEDs 10 and 20 may further include a metal layer between the first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a (25 a) and the substrate 1 (21). The metal layer may function as a barrier layer that blocks diffusion of the first element (metal element) in the first element-containing zinc oxide layer 5 a (25 a) into the substrate 1 (21). The metal layer may include at least one metal selected from the group consisting of molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), and gold (Au), but is not limited thereto. For example, the metal layer may include a Ti layer. The metal layer may have a thickness of about 20 nm to about 200 nm, for example, about 50 nm to about 100 nm. When the thickness of the metal layer is within this range, the diffusion of the first element may be effectively prevented. However, the thickness of the metal layer is not limited thereto.

Any of the OLEDs 10 and 20 may further include at least one layer selected from the group consisting of a HIL and a HTL between the first electrode 5 (25) and the first layer 6 (26). For example, an OLED according to an embodiment may have a structure including: a substrate; a first electrode (including a first element-containing zinc oxide layer, and optionally further including a transparent conductive layer), a first HTL, a first layer, a second HTL, an EML, an ETL, an EIL, and a second electrode, which are sequentially stacked in this order.

Alternatively, the OLED may include multiple first layers. For example, an OLED according to an embodiment may have a structure including: a substrate; a first electrode (including a first element-containing zinc oxide layer, and optionally further including a transparent conductive layer), a first layer, a HTL, another first layer, another HTL, an EML, an ETL, an EIL, and a second electrode, which are sequentially stacked in this order.

Hereinafter, one or more embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the following examples. However, these examples are not intended to limit the purpose and scope of the one or more embodiments.

EXAMPLE Comparative Example 1

A 15 Ω/cm² (1,200 Å) ITO glass substrate (available from Corning Co.) was cut to a size of 50 mm×50 mm×0.7 mm, ultrasonically washed with isopropyl alcohol for 5 minutes and then with pure water for 5 minutes, and washed again with UV ozone for 30 minutes. An Al-containing zinc oxide layer (Al was doped to a concentration of about 2 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the Al-containing zinc oxide layer) was formed on the ITO glass substrate to a thickness of 400 Å, thereby forming an anode including ITO and the Al-containing zinc oxide layer. Then, m-MTDATA was vacuum-deposited on the Al-containing zinc oxide layer to form a HIL having a thickness of 750 Å, and then Compound 5 above was vacuum-deposited on the HIL to form a HTL having a thickness of 750 Å. 97 wt % of Compound 56 above as a host and 3 wt % of Compound 58 above as a dopant were deposited on the HTL to form an EML having a thickness of 200 Å. Alq3 was vacuum-deposited on the EML to form an ETL having a thickness of 300 Å. Liq was vacuum-deposited on the ETL to form an EIL having a thickness of 5 Å and Mg and Ag were vacuum-deposited on the EIL to form a cathode having a thickness of 160 Å. Next, Alq3 was deposited on the cathode to form a protection layer having a thickness of 600 Å, thereby completing the manufacture of an OLED.

Example 1

A 15 Ω/cm² (1,200 Å) ITO glass substrate (available from Corning Co.) was cut to a size of 50 mm×50 mm×0.7 mm, ultrasonically washed with isopropyl alcohol for 5 minutes and then with pure water for 5 minutes, and washed again with UV ozone for 30 minutes. An Al-containing zinc oxide layer (Al was doped to a concentration of about 2 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the Al-containing zinc oxide layer) was formed on the ITO glass substrate to a thickness of 400 Å, thereby forming an anode including ITO and the Al-containing zinc oxide layer. An OLED was manufactured in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, except that a first layer, instead of the HIL, was formed on the Al-containing zinc oxide layer to a thickness of 100 Å, wherein the first layer contained Compound 5 above and 1 part by weight of the compound of Formula 20A (R₁₀₉ is —F) based on 100 parts by weight of the first layer; and then the HTL was formed of Compound 5 thereon.

Example 2

An OLED was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that 3 parts by weight of the compound of Formula 20A was used based on 100 parts by weight of the first layer.

Evaluation Example

Driving voltages of the OLEDs manufactured in Comparative Example 1 and Examples 1 and 2 were measured using a 238 High-Current Source-Measure unit (available from Keithley Instruments Inc., Solon, Ohio), and current efficiency and power efficiency thereof were measured using a PR650 (Spectroscan) Source Measurement Unit. (available from PhotoResearch, Inc., Chatsworth, Calif.). The results are shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Driving Voltage Current efficiency Power efficiency (V) (Cd/A) (lm/W) Comparative 5.3 33.1 19.7 Example 1 Example 1 4.0 36.5 28.6 Example 2 4.0 34.1 26.6

Referring to Table 1, it can be confirmed that the OLEDS of Examples 1 and 2 had lower driving voltages and higher current efficiency and power efficiencies as compared to the OLED of Comparative Example 1.

As described above, an OLED according to the present embodiments may have excellent driving voltage characteristics, emission efficiency characteristics and power efficiency characteristics.

While the present embodiments have been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present embodiments as defined by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An organic light-emitting device comprising: a substrate; a first electrode disposed on the substrate; a second electrode; an organic layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the organic layer comprising an emission layer; and at least one first layer disposed between the first electrode and the emission layer, the at least one first layer comprising a cyano group-containing compound and a hole transporting compound, wherein the first electrode comprises a zinc oxide layer comprising at least one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), indium (In), gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), gadolinium (Gd), zirconium (Zr), molybdenum (Mo), and nickel (Ni) wherein the cyano group-containing compound comprises one of the compounds represented by Formulae 1 through 20:

wherein: X₁ through X₄ are each independently selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by Formulae 30A through 30D below;

wherein Y₁ through Y₈ are each independently selected from the group consisting of N and C(R₁₀₃); wherein Z₁ through Z₄ are each independently C or N; A_(l) and A₂ are each independently selected from the group consisting of —O—, —S—, —N(R₁₀₄) and —C(R₁₀₅)(R₁₀₆)—; wherein Q₁₀₁ and Q₁₀₂ are each independently selected from the group consisting of a C₂-C₁₀ alkylene group; a C₂-C₁₀ alkenylene group; and a substituted C₂-C₁₀ alkylene group and a substituted C₂-C₁₀ alkenylene group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group and a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group; wherein T₁ and T₂ are each independently selected from the group consisting of a C₅-C₃₀ aromatic ring system; a C₃-C₃₀ heteroaromatic ring system; a substituted C₅-C₃₀ aromatic ring system and a substituted C₃-C₃₀ heteroaromatic ring system which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, and a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group; wherein p is an integer from 1 to 10; wherein q is an integer from 0 to 10; wherein R₁₀₁ through R₁₀₆ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen; a halogen atom; a cyano group; a hydroxyl group; a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group; a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group; a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group and a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₅-C₁₄ aryl group, and a C₃-C₁₄ heteroaryl group;

and —N(R₁₀₇)(R₁₀₈), wherein R₁₀₇ and R₁₀₈ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a phenyl group and a biphenyl group; and wherein L₁₀₁ is selected from the group consisting of a C₅-C₁₄ arylene group; a C₅-C₁₄ heteroarylene group; and a substituted C₂-C₁₀ alkenylene group, a substituted C₅-C₁₄ arylene group and a substituted C₃-C₁₄ heteroarylene group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group and a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group; wherein the hole transporting compound comprises a compound represented by Formula 41 or 42 below:

wherein, R₁₀ is represented by —(Ar₁)_(n)—Ar₂; R₁₆ is represented by —(Ar₁₁)_(m)—Ar₁₂; L₁ and L₁₁ are each independently selected from the group consisting of a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ alkenylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₅-C₃₀ arylene group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₃-C₃₀ heteroarylene group, and —N(Q₁)—; n, m, a and b are each independently an integr from 0 to 10; Ar₁ and Ar₁₁ are each independently selected from the group consisting of a C₁-C₁₀ alkylene group; a phenylene group; a naphthylene group; an anthrylene group; a fluorenylene group; a carbazolylene group; a pyrazolylene group; a pyridinylene group; a triazinylene group; —N(Q₁)—; and a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkylene group, a substituted phenylene group, a substituted naphthylene group, a substituted anthrylene group, a substituted fluorenylene group, a substituted carbazolylene group, a substituted pyrazolylene group, substituted pyridinylene group, and a substituted triazinylene group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, and an anthryl group; and Q₁ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen; a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group; a phenyl group; a naphthyl group; a carbazolyl group; a fluorenyl group; and a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, a substituted phenyl group, a substituted naphthyl group, a substituted carbazolyl group, and a substituted fluorenyl group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, and an anthryl group; R₁ through R₃, R₁₁ through R₁₅, R₁₇, R₁₈, R₂₁ through R₂₉, Ar₂, and Ar₁₂ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a cyano group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ allynyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkoxy group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkylthiol group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₅-C₃₀ aryl group, a C₃-C₃₀ heteroaryl group, and —N(Q₂)(Q₃); Q₂ and Q₃ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a cyano group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₂-C₃₀ allynyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkoxy group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₃₀ alkylthiol group, a substituted or unsubstituted C₅-C₃₀ aryl group, and a substituted or unsubstituted C₃-C₃₀ heteroaryl group; and wherein groups of Ar₁ in —(Ar₁)_(n)— are identical to or different from each other, groups of Ar₁₁ in —(Ar₁₁)_(m)— are identical to or different from each other, groups of L₁ in -(L₁)_(a)- are identical to or different from each other, and groups of L₁₁ in -(L₁₁₎ _(b)- are identical to or different from each other.
 2. The organic light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the first electrode further comprises a transparent conductive layer.
 3. The organic light-emitting device of claim 2, wherein the amount of the first element is from about 0.5 to about 10 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the first element-containing zinc oxide layer.
 4. The organic light-emitting device of claim 2, further comprising at least one layer selected from the group consisting of a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer between the first layer and the emission layer.
 5. The organic light-emitting device of claim 1, zinc oxide layer comprises aluminum (Al).
 6. The organic light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein X₁ through X₄ are each independently selected from the compounds of Formula 30A or the compound of Formula 30D


7. The organic light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein R₁₀₃ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen; a halogen atom; a cyano group; a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group; a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group; a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group and a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, an anthryl group, a pyridinyl group, a thiophenyl group, and a benzothiophenyl group; and —N(R₁₀₇)(R₁₀₈), wherein R₁₀₇ and R₁₀₈ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a phenyl group, and a biphenyl group.
 8. The organic light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein T₁ and T₂ are each independently selected from the group consisting of benzene; naphthalene; anthracene; thiophene; thiadiazole; oxadiazole; and a substituted benzene, a substituted naphthalene, a substituted anthracene, a substituted thiophene, a substituted thiadiazole and a substituted oxadiazole which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group and a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group.
 9. The organic light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein L₁₀₁ is selected from the group consisting of a thiophenylene group; a benzothiophenylene group; and a substituted thiophenylene group and a substituted benzothiophenylene group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group and a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group.
 10. The organic light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the cyano group-containing compound comprises one of the compounds represented by Formulae 1A through 20B below:

wherein R₁₀₃ and R₁₀₉ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, —F, a cyano group, a methyl group, an ethyl group, a propyl group, a methoxy group, an ethoxy group, and a propoxy group.
 11. The organic light-emitting device of claim 10, wherein the amount of the cyano group-containing compound in the first layer is from about 0.1 to about 20 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the first layer.
 12. The organic light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein Ar₂ and Ar₁₂ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen; a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group; a phenyl group; a naphthyl group; a carbazolyl group; a fluorenyl group; a pyrenyl group; a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a substituted C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, a substituted phenyl group, a substituted naphthyl group, a substituted carbazolyl group, a substituted fluorenyl group and a substituted pyrenyl group which have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a cyano group, a hydroxyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, a phenyl group, a naphthyl group and an anthryl group; and —N(Q₂)(Q₃), wherein Q₂ and Q₃ are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a methyl group, an ethyl group, a phenyl group, a methylphenyl group, a biphenyl group, a naphthyl group, and a methylnaphthyl group.
 13. The organic light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein n and m are each independently 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or
 6. 14. The organic light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein the first layer has a thickness of from about 10 Å to about 2,100 Å.
 15. The organic light-emitting device of claim 1, wherein a distance between the first layer and the emission layer is about 50 Å or greater.
 16. The organic light-emitting device of claim 1, further comprising at least one layer selected from the group consisting of a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer between the first layer and the emission layer. 